IN week one of my coaching tips I am going to start with something I should hopefully know quite a bit about and that is seam bowling.

As a right arm seam bowler myself, I am going to aim to give you some of the fundamentals that I use both as a coach and in my own game in order to get the best out of my bowling.

You will deliberately notice I have used the word ‘seam’ bowling as opposed to quick or fast bowling as we aren’t all blessed with the gift of pace.

The natural place to start with bowling is run up and approach to the crease, just like you would when bowling.

It is important that a run up is economical (not wasting energy), smooth and allows you to create enough energy to get the ball down to the other end.

A run up can be as long or as short as the individual needs, a common mistake is that a long run up is needed to bowl fast, this is not the case.

A smooth, economical and shorter run up is usually more effective because the older you get and the better you get the more overs you may get asked to bowl by the captain!

You should pace out your run up, remember it and use it every time you bowl (mine is 12 paces just for the record).

Once you have a smooth, economical and repeatable run up the next step is to make sure you approach the crease lined up to where you want the ball to go, this is not always at the wickets.

Check out this photograph of the action.

You will be able to see a fast bowler just as he releases the ball. If you want to improve you should notice his position on the crease as he is just about to let go, this ball if you trace a straight line will end up on the top of off stump. This is the area that most bowlers aim for.

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